Eichaed bemish



R. BBMISH.

FIRE ESCAPE.

(No Model.)

Patented. sept. 1s, 188:7.

N PETERS. Plww'umugmplm.. wnshinglun, D,C`

, UNTTED STATES PATENT @rrrca.

RICHARD BEMlSl-I, OF ROCHESTER, NEWv YORK.

FI RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,681, dated September 13,1887.

Application filed May 20, 1887. Serial No. 238,814. (No model.) v

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD BEMIsH, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Escapes, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to produce an improved iireescape, the same being essentially a flexible ladder held in an inelosure placed over a window within the room, said ladder to be lowered out of the window from the inelosure to the ground.

The novelty of .the device consists, mainly, in the-form of the inelosure, the manner of holding` the ladder within the same, and the manner of opening said inelosure at the time of need to present the ladder for use as a means of escape. The invention is hereinafter fully described, and the novel features thereof particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of the box or inelosure containing the ladder with parts of the casing of the window, said inelosure being open and in part vertically sectioned, as on the dotted line 0c in Fig. 2, and one position of the ladder being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, seen as indicated by arrow in Fig. 1, the wall of the building, windowcasing, and a part of the inelosure being vertically sectioned, as on the dotted line .e in Fig. l, parts being shown in two positions by full and dotted lines. Fig. 8, drawn to a larger scale, is a side elevation of some of the lower 'parts of the inelosure with associated parts,

seen in the direction in which Fig. 2 is seen, parts being shown in various positions by full and dotted lines. Fig. 4., drawn to a small scale, shows the relation of the escape to the wall and windows of the building, the parts being seen in the direction in which Fig. 2 is seen, the wall being vertically sectioned through a tier of windows, as on the dotted line m in`Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is aview of a window as seen from within the room, drawn to more fully show the manner of placing the re-escape against the easing and the position of the ladder when lowered. Fig. 6, drawn to the scale to which Figs. 3 and 7 are drawn and closure.

, shows the supports for the door, a part of the latter and the side wall of the inelosure being vertically sectioned, as on the dotted line z in Fig. l.

Referring to the parts, A is a portion of the` outer wall of a building, and R the windows in said wall.

O is the inelosure or holder for the ladder D, which latter is flexible and ordinarily wound upon a reel, E, held within the said inbolts a to the wall of the building, over the window, which inelosure may be made ornamental and to form a part of the casing of the window, as shown in Fig. 5. formed with a door, F, joined thereto by ordinary hinges, b, so as to turn or swing downward. the front wall of the inelosure and a part, d, of the under wall thereof, said parts c and d beingjoin'ed by ordinary hinges, c. Then the door is closed, all of the parts of the device are inelosed and out of sight.

The door'is provided with a fastener, G, con sisting of a rigid catch, Leo-operating with a tilting latch, g, held upon a pivot, h, projecting inwardlyifrom a side wall of the inelosure. part, i, or a simple spring, as thought desirable.

c is a rigid stop-pin, to prevent the latch being turned too far by said weight or spring.

From this description of the parts it will be understood thatwhen the door is swung upward to place it will be held by the latch in a manner such thatit cannot be opened by a person occupying the room. This is to prevent the ladder being used by any person for improper purposes.

It is designed to place one of these fire-escape devices over an available window or outside door of each room of the building above the first story, and operate the fastener G, tore- The inelosure is secured rigidly by.

The inelosure isv The door is composed of a part, c. of

The latch may be operated by a weighted IOO lease the door of each, by means of an electromagnet, Z, placed to act u pon the latch g, simple closers for the circuit being placed at different points in the building, as judgment may dictate; or the respective latches may be operated by simple pull-wires n, joined by bellcranks 0. These methods of operating the latches are suggested asbeing convenient, but no novelty is here claimed for them.

The part d of the door is provided with a rigid hook. p, to which the lower end of the inclosed ladder is ati ached, as shown. This hook is turned so as to open out in 'a direction away from the hinge-joint at b, or so that when the door is turned downward said hook will open downward. A spring, r, secured rigidly to the back wall, s, of the inclosure, is held to bear against the door, to throw it down with force when released from the fastener G, for the purpose of drawing a portion ofthe ladderfrom the reel. The ladder, being attached to the hook p, is pulled downward by the weight ot' the falling door, assisted by thev spring, so that said 'ladder will hang in front of the window, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, in convenient reach of the occupant of the room. The person wishing to use the ladder seizes the pendent end thereof, and, pulling it downward, unreels the Whole ladder, which remains attached to the reel and reaches to the ground, it being directed out of the window. The ladder is rewoun-d upon the reel by means of an ordinary crank applied to the squared head a of the shaft ofthe reel.

To further support the door, I supply it with two rigid dowel pins or supports, a, in position to enter respective opposing cavities o in the side walls of the inclosure. These pins, having bearings at the lower sides of said cavities, hold the weight of the door, while the fastening device G holds the door closed, as above stated. Two of the fasteners G may be employed, if thought desirableone at each side of the inclosure.

The ladder may be formed of chains having 45 action to unfasten the door, to awaken the oc-V cupant of the room. This alarm-bell is of coinmon kind as to form and operation.

The hook p, opening downward, allows the end of the ladder to slip oi' and hang only from the reel when the door is thrown down. This will be readily understood from viewing Fig. 3.

What I claim-as my invention is l. In combination with a flexible ladder, an inclosure therefor having a part, c, of its front wall joined to a part, d, ot' its under Wall by hinges, said part d being connected by hinges to the remainder of said under wall, a catch or holder for said part c, dowel-pins rigid with said part c, and openings e in the side walls of said inclosurefor said dowel-pins, of

'larger diameter than the-diameter of said dowel-pins, and in position to have said pins bear upon the under sides of said respective openings when the door is closed, substantially as shown and described.

2. In combination with a flexible ladder, an inclosure'the1efor,said inclosure having a part, c, of its front wall joined to a part, d, of its under wall by a hinge-joint, said part d being connected by ahinge-joint to the remainder of said under wall, a fastener for said part c, and supports rigid with said part c, held to engage the side walls of said inclosure, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

, RICHARD BEMISH.

Vitnesses:

E. B. WHITMORE, M. L. MoDERMoTT. 

